Shortly after I started working for Movify, I found out about the Learn & Development project, offered to all employees of the company.
Did you know that working at Movify, you have a budget of 2,000€ and 4 paid days per year to spend on courses, conferences, trade shows, etc. You did? Nice! You didn't? Well, friend, now you do, so keep reading... I have a proposal on how to spend 2 of these days and some of this budget...
On May 2nd and 3rd 2022, there will be the 11th edition of Beyond Tellerrand in Düsseldorf. Beyond Tellerrand is an event where humanity, creativity and, technology meet. It's the place where you can attend every talk, as you don't have to choose on an overbooked schedule. It's the place where you can meet your heroes (Vic Lee, Rob Draper, Mike Monteiro, Brad Frost,... They made talks over there). I personally met and talked to Júlia Racskó while I was on the line for some free hot cocoa. It's the perfect place to be inspired, to open your eyes and mind, to challenge yourself.
Whether you are a developer, a designer, an AI specialist, a marketing communications officer, an artist, an Instagram influencer,... this event is made for you. (I even met a fashion designer last year!)
Every speaker has this talent to talk about their passion, their job, their mission in a way everyone can understand. What brings everyone together? Humanity.
Why are we designing stuff that way? Why are we using these good practices in dev? Why are we expressing ourselves by drawing? Why are fonts fun? Why is accessibility so important? Because it serves humans. It serves us. And sometimes, when you are working on the same project, with the same people, with the same routine, you may need to meet other people, to listen to something else, to discover other points of view.
What I find great about Beyond Tellerrand is that the people we talk about can also have their say. Do we often talk about accessibility for impaired people? Well, in November 2021, Molly Watt came to Dusseldörf and made a wonderful talk about accessibility and usability, explaining her point of view and also why we need to talk with the users and not just try to think for themselves.
When I heard about the L&D program, the 2000€ budget, and the 4 paid days available, I knew that it would finance my trip to Düsseldorf. And I think you should consider it too.
I must say that working in a company that believes in the power of knowledge, of continuous development and improvement is extremely empowering and stimulating. We should all take advantage of this opportunity. Folks,... we should go together.
Ok, now, some tips to prepare for your trip:
- You can book a room in the cheapest hotel near the Capitol Theater, you just need a place to sleep, to take a shower and that's it. Keep your Training Budget for something else
- Yep, trains are nice but Flixbus is also a good alternative. The journey takes almost the same time, it's cheaper and you will avoid the train delays or cancellations (believe me).
- Travel light but take a huge bag pack with you. You will receive a lot of goodies (t-shirts, mugs, bottles,...) and maybe win or buy some other stuff (books, tools, cards, art,...)
Don’t forget to check the official website: beyond tellerrand – an event about web, design, development, technology and more,
and why not also my personal blog post about the event: https://webmae.github.io/BeyondTellerrand
